Proposed policy revisions would limit ability of parents, businesses to donate snacks to Spotsy schools

The Spotsylvania School Board on Monday will consider proposed changes to the division’s policy concerning public gifts to schools that would limit the ability of individuals and businesses to donate prepackaged snacks and other food items to schools. 

Policy KH is among four policies with proposed changes that the board will consider at its meeting Monday. 

The revisions to KH include the addition of two paragraphs outlining how the school division will accept donations of prepackaged food. 

All donations weighing more than 1 pound would be accepted only once per month at the fleet services building and must be approved by the School Board prior to being distributed to individual schools. 

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Packages will be inspected for “tampering, expiration dates, and possible allergens by the Director of Health Services or the Director of Health Services’ designee” before board approval, according to the proposed revisions. 

“Out of abundance of caution for school safety, schools are prohibited from directly accepting prepackaged food donations of one pound or more in total until the donations have gone through the safety inspection and approval process outlined in this policy,” the revisions state. 

The new process would not affect “existing prepackaged food donation arrangements between school social workers and nonprofit organizations.” 

School division spokeswoman Tara Mergener said the proposed revisions are the result of “parents [who have] have been voicing concerns about random unchecked snacks showing up in schools.”

“The board is seeking to create a process to alleviate those concerns,” she said. 

Mergener said the policy would “not affect in-school teacher/student birthday parties, weekend bags, after school sporting events, fresh fruits or vegetables, donated school supplies, or existing arrangements between school social workers and nonprofits, such as the food bank.”

It is unclear how the policy, if approved, would affect donations from businesses. 

In recent months, several local businesses, including Paragon Gymnastics, Metro Nova Creative, Chancellor Eye Care, Texas Roadhouse and Legends Grille have stepped up efforts to help the schools deal with student food insecurity by donating snacks or conducting food drives and fundraisers to build up stores of snacks and food items for weekend bags. 

According to Superintendent Mark Taylor’s Jan. 24 budget presentation, just under half of the student population — 48% — is considered economically disadvantaged and eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The division also has 433 students who are homeless or in foster care, according to Taylor’s presentation. 

Federal waivers that were in place during the COVID-19 pandemic enabled school divisions to provide free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students, without families being required to file eligibility paperwork for the free/reduced lunch program. 

Those waivers expired last summer and this month, Virginia families will lose the emergency allotments that have been part of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — that have been in place since March 2020. 

Under the emergency allotments, which will end Feb. 16, all households that receive SNAP benefits qualified for the maximum amount of assistance. When the emergency allotments began, 330,000 families were enrolled in the program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As of this month, 470,000 participants are enrolled. 

The Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank expects that change will result in more households needing grocery assistance, according to a post on the organization’s website informing clients of the upcoming change. 

Members of the Spotsylvania community have asked the School Board in recent months to address food insecurity in the schools by funding the purchase of snacks and weekend bags for students. 

Taylor addressed the snack issue at a town hall meeting held last month by School Board members Lorita Daniels and Rabih Abuismail.

He said he regularly sees food being thrown away at breakfast and lunch and that he “has a problem” with students “snacking on sugar and white flour.”

Taylor also said he questions whether it is the school division’s responsibility to provide students with weekend bags of food. 

“There is a point at which there is a role for social services,” Taylor said. 

Paragon Gymnastics began making weekly donations of snacks to Salem Elementary last year. Owner Ken Wood said the proposed revisions to the donation policy will mean his business wouldn’t be able to help the school anymore.

“I think it’s petty of [the School Board] to do this,” he said. “It says they don’t trust each school to inspect and monitor their own donations. If it goes to Central Office, we will have no control over where it goes. Our goal was to adopt one school and to solve this issue completely for them. If donations go away, students and teachers pay the price — literally, in the case of teachers.” 

Also on Monday, the School Board will consider revisions to the policy concerning how business is conducted at regular meetings. The revisions would limit how much time board members are given to discuss a motion to three minutes. 

The board is also expected to approve its budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. 

Adele Uphaus: 540/735-1973

auphaus@freelancestar.com

@flsadele

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